magine a world without hunger, disease or pollution. It may sound impossible, but it's exactly what scientists, researchers and farmers working in biotechnology are trying to achieve. Much of this work is happening here in Illinois, where scientists are using biotechnology to find solutions to everything from curing diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes to growing crops with fewer chemicals. Their research is leading to alternative fuels that help keep our air clean to new types of DNA fingerprinting that help our police solve crimes. And in addition to the promise biotechnology offers for everything from fighting cancer to fighting crime, it also means new, high-paying jobs.
There are nearly 60,000 biotech jobs at more than 1,100 Illinois companies. Twenty percent of the nation's biotech firms are within a 300-mile radius of Chicago.
The impact and potential of biotechnology was on full display recently in Chicago during BIO 2006, which was the first time the world's most prestigious conference of researchers, major corporations and investors was held in the Midwest. BIO 2006 was an opportunity for Illinois to showcase our biotech business to the nearly 20,000 people who attended the conference from more than sixty countries. With a world-class biotech business community, internationally-renowned research institutions and universities, and a highly-skilled and educated workforce, BIO 2006 demonstrated Illinois has everything this industry needs to continue growing.
President Clinton said at BIO 2006 "we have to promote a way for people to work themselves out of poverty; a way to put the 130 million children who never go to school in school; a way to build decent health systems; and a way to build sustainable energy systems that are clean energy." He is right. Biotechnology can help do that, and Illinois is taking a leading role.
We are already helping biotech grow in Illinois, with several international pharmaceutical corporations like Astellas Pharma, Hospira and Takeda all expanding here and creating new jobs. They join multi-billion dollar medical companies Abbott Laboratories, Baxter Labs and Dade-Behring, who are developing drugs and vaccines to cure diseases like heart disease, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, AIDS and arthritis.
Last year, Illinois became only the fourth state to invest public funds in stem cell research. And recently, we awarded $10 million in grants to Illinois researchers and scientists to perform this life saving research.
Illinois is already home to Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Institute for Genomic Biology, University Technology Park at Illinois Institute of Technology, the Illinois Medical District and the recently opened Illinois Science + Technology Park. The Biotechnology Laboratory Incubator at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the Peoria NEXT Innovation Center will soon join this impressive list.
In 2003, Illinois was the first state to eliminate the state sales tax on E-85, which is made from 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent regular gasoline, and we are also funding new research to put more of this environmentally-friendly fuel in cars across Illinois. We already have about 20 percent of the nation's E-85 stations, which provides a cheaper alternative to imported oil, but we want to take that number much higher.
Thanks to our commitment to biotechnology, Illinois farmers are growing more crops on less land. In fact, according to a study by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy, in 2004, biotech corn and soybeans increased Illinois' food production by nearly 602 million pounds, added more than $217 million in farm income and reduced pesticide use by 7.4 million pounds.
People are noticing our progress. Business Facilities Magazine named Illinois the national leader for biotech growth in 2005. Site Selection Magazine named the Chicagoland area the top metro region and Illinois was ranked third for attracting new and expanded corporate facilities last year.
BIO 2006 is going to help us achieve things we haven't even thought of yet. This was a rare opportunity to import ideas, create companies and jobs in Illinois that will leave a lasting impact on our state and our world. We are already working to bring BIO back to Chicago, as it continues expanding in companies, laboratories and universities across Illinois. If we stay focused and committed to the promise of biotechnology, we can do things we never dreamed of: feeding the hungry, curing the sick and cleaning the environment. Illinois has dared to dream big. And our efforts are paying off.